1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a dispersion compensation device and a dispersion compensation method, and more particularly to a dispersion compensation device and a dispersion compensation method permitting dispersion compensation for dispersion-shifted fibers.
2. Description of Related Art
When designing a wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) system which passes wavelength division-multiplexed signals over a single mode fiber (SMF) transmission line, it is necessary to apply dispersion compensating fibers (DCFs) to compensate for chromatic dispersion and chromatic dispersion slope. Since the chromatic dispersion of an SMF is about +20 ps/nm/km in a 1.55 μm communication band as shown in FIG. 1, the DCFs are selected out of fibers having negative chromatic dispersion of, for instance, −80 to −100 ps/nm/km.
Apart from them, there are also deployed dispersion-shifted fibers-(DSFs) formed by shifting the zero-dispersion wavelength, which is 1.3 μm (micrometers) for SMFs, to 1.55 μm, which belongs to the communication band. Generally, DSFs were assumed to require no dispersion compensation, but their dispersion compensation has also come to be increasingly called for on account of such recent developments as the increase in transmission speed, extension of transmission distance, further densification of dense WDM (DWDM) and realization of transparent networks with no or little regeneration.
In determining the appropriate dispersion compensation quantity, the dispersion value on the optical fiber transmission line is actually measured or predicted, end DCFs of appropriate lengths are mounted on the transmission device. However, since this necessitates keeping many different kinds of DCFs in stock, there also is a keen requirement for variable dispersion compensation devices.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,930,045 (Patent Reference 1) describes a variable dispersion compensation device using a virtual image phase array (VIPA). U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,562 (Patent Reference 2) describes a variable dispersion compensation device using an optical circulator, plural optical switches, plural DCFs and a mirror.
The C-band used for communication in optical transmission ranges from 1530 to 1565 nm. The zero-dispersion wavelength of DSFs is 1.55 μm. This means that, when WDM transmission is to be done by using DSFs, lights of 1530 nm are subject to negative chromatic dispersion and lights of 1565 nm are subject to positive chromatic dispersion. DSFs are also subject to inevitable fluctuations in the manufacturing process, and therefore their zero-dispersion wavelength may differ from 1550 nm.
The VIPA described in Patent Reference 1 represents a technology that can provide both positive chromatic dispersion and negative chromatic dispersion, but it requires assembly of a complex optical system and accordingly is expensive.
The invention described in Patent Reference 2 is mainly composed of passive optical components. However, the optical switches used involve elements to make the configuration complex, including a large number of contacts, and accordingly may fail to maintain its reliability level. Since main signals pass every optical switch whether they travel past the DCFs or not, if the optical switches and the DCFs are unitized, the units cannot be detached or diverted to any other purpose. Thus, if the dispersion quantity is to be altered by remote control when any DCF is to be added, every optical switch that may be added will have to be installed in advance, or if any optical switch is to be added or removed, main signal transmission should be suspended during the adding or removing work. Furthermore, Patent Reference 2 makes no mention of dispersion compensation on a transmission line using DSFs. Moreover, it has to be equipped with several kinds of DCFs.
In general terminology, DSF means a fiber whose chromatic dispersion falls off to zero in the vicinity of 1.55 μm, but similar fibers, which are non-zero dispersion compensating fibers (NZ-DSFs) having chromatic dispersion of a few ps/nm/km in the vicinity of 1.55 μm, are also used. These fibers may also pose the same problem. NZ-DSFs are also DSFs in a broader sense of the term.